Palmetto captures sixth straight district title

PALMETTO - Palmetto won its sixth consecutive boys district soccer title with a 4-1 victory over Seminole in the Class 4-District 10 championship game Friday night.

“It's fantastic every year,” said Palmetto coach Dustin Dahlquist, who is in his 13th season. “It's a tremendously tough district with all the teams from Pinellas County. But our kids responded well and we’ve got a championship out of it.”

Palmetto (20-2-1) will host District 9 runner-up, either Tampa King or Hillsborough, in the 4A-Region 3 quarterfinal Thursday.

“This is just the first step, though,” Dahlquist said. “It just gets us a home game on Thursday.”

Seminole (13-7-1) will travel to the District 9 champion.

Senior forward Gregorio Calvillo scored a pair of goals and Javis Paniagua and Hunter Brown each added a goal for the top-seeded Tigers, who scored two in each half.

“This is my last year. It’s good to end with a district title,” Calvillo said. “It’s good for the freshmen because this is their first. I’ve been 4-for-4 in districts. I was with my brother (Pedro) for the other ones. It feels good to win one by myself.”

The Warhawks avoided the shutout with a goal in the final minute from Liam Murphy.

The Tigers, despite losing 12 seniors from a 4A Final Four team last season, are loaded for another run to the state finals, with five seniors who are fourth-year starters, led by Calvillo, Paniagua and Brown, along with Usiel Martinez and Tyler Lawrence.

Calvillo has scored a team-record 46 goals, surpassing the mark of 43 goals he set last year.

“It’s been good scoring,” Calvillo said. “But we’re not done yet.”

“He’s fully bought into getting us as far as we can go this year,” Dahlquist said. “It’s not just him, it’s everyone.”

Calvillo’s first goal, with an assist from Raul Loera, came 19 minutes into the game, to give Palmetto a 1-0 lead. Paniagua scored 37 minutes into the half.

Calvillo’s second goal came 4:30 into the second half, with an assist from Brown, to make it 3-0.

“They attack in droves, in waves,” said Seminole coach Rick Masi.

“Our guys are extremely explosive,” Calvillo said. “We’re on the ball all the time. I just think we finished. That’s what the key was.”

“It doesn’t help when we're giving them the whole field to attack,” Masi said. “We have to play a lot better if we’re going to play with these guys.”

“Seminole’s not a bad team,” Calvillo said.

Brown’s goal 35 minutes into the second half made it 4-0.

Calvillo missed a chance for a third goal when his penalty kick 27 minutes into the second half sailed way over the crossbar.

“I guess I got too confident,” Calvillo said. “I should have placed it, instead of hitting it full power.

A couple minutes later Calvillo missed a free kick from 25 yards out.

“I’d rather miss some now than miss some later,” he said.

Last modified: January 25, 2014
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